From the Earth to the Moon (1958)

In 1868, American inventor Victor Barbicane develops a powerful military explosive that he also uses as fuel for a moon-bound rocket manned by himself and a motley crew.

Director:

Byron Haskin

Writers:

Jules Verne (novels), Robert Blees (screenplay)

Stars:

Joseph Cotten, George Sanders, Debra Paget

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Joseph Cotten	...	Victor Barbicane
George Sanders	...	Stuyvesant Nicholl
Debra Paget	...	Virginia Nicholl
Don Dubbins	...	Ben Sharpe
Patric Knowles	...	Josef Cartier
Carl Esmond	...	Jules Verne
Henry Daniell	...	Morgana
Melville Cooper	...	Bancroft
Ludwig Stössel	...	Aldo Von Metz (as Ludwig Stossel)

Storyline

Set just after the American civil war, businessman and inventor Victor Barbicane invents a new source of power called Power X. He plans to use it to power rockets, and to show its potential he plans to send a projectile to the moon. Joining him for the trip are his assistant Ben Sharpe, Barbicane's arch-rival Stuyvesant Nicholl, and Nicholl's daughter Virginia. Nicholl believes that Power X goes against the will of God and sabotages the projectile so that they cannot return to earth, setting up a suspenseful finale as they battle to repair the projectile.

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Plot Keywords:

spaceship | travel to the moon | foreign language adaptation | based on novel | year 1868 | 

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Taglines:

The Amazing Story of the Boldest Adventure Dared by Man!

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 March 1964 (UK)

Also Known As:

Rumbo al infinito

Filming Locations:

Churubusco Studios, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Company Credits

Production Co:

Benedict Bogeaus Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

George Sanders' quotation "The Lord moves in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform" is a variation on William Cowper's hymn (composed in 1773) "God Moves in a Mysterious Way."

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Goofs

During the meteor shower, smoke in the area outside the viewing port, supposedly from a previous meteor, reveals the guide wire the pyrotechnic ball travels past the main window. It can easily be seen in following shots as well.

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Quotes

Morgana: You know, whenever I see you, I get the feeling that Barbicane is up to no good.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits are on the pages of a book, with the leads' photos included above the name.

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Connections

Version of From the Earth to the Moon (1979)

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Soundtracks

Electronic Tonalities
(uncredited)
from Forbidden Planet (1956)
composed by Bebe Barron and Louis Barron
heard during the scenes on board the rocket

User Reviews

I liked it!

I got a real kick out of watching the hokey special effects. A space suit with a helmet that uses screws to hold it in place, and snaps up the front? How effective is that? And the odd contraption that spins the three sea-faring astronauts, and conveniently subsides in place for the first to regain consciousness to slide out of it, then rotate his two buddies in turn to exit the mechanism. I wondered who would start the thing back in motion upon re-entry… And the gyro scope! It reminded me of Jodie Foster in Contact, where she journeys through space and time in a similar invention. The extensive use of wood puts Starship Voyager to shame, and the lack of zero gravity (drinking wine to celebrate take off) is downright amusing.

But what really made the movie work for me, was the poetic language as Virginia Nicholl Debra Paget) realizes they are all going to die. We could live to we are really old, and die quietly in our sleep, but how much better to go out as star, a blazing star, for all the world to see! To which Barbicane replies, that if he ever gets back to Earth alive, he will make sure all future voyages will include a woman, for hope. How could they possibly have foreseen the catastrophic re-entry into Earth's atmosphere by Space Shuttle Columbia in February 2003? Where not just one but two women, Commander Laurel Clark and Dr. Kalpana Chawla joined five men in instant death. Sure, the parallels to Power X and atomic warfare were already obvious in 1958, but the simplistic plot tells a whole lot more. To quote a great man, 'The cause in which they died will continue. Mankind is led into the darkness beyond our world by the inspiration of discovery and the longing to understand. Our journey into space will go on.'